Volume 52, Number 1, January, 2010 The 26th Annual Waterfowl Count The 26th Annual Waterfowl Count will be held on Sunday, January 17, 2010. We will be meeting at 9:00 am at Stuyvesant Landing. The coordinators for this event are Owen and Carol Whitby.
Expected Waterfowl
ADBC Board Meeting Membership Renewal Reminder The next ADBC Board Meeting will be held on ADBC Membership Renewals are due by January 1, Tuesday, February 11, 2010 2010. There will be a short grace period after which your membership and the Warbler will be discontinued. at 7:00 pm at the home of Marcia Anderson. We value our members and do not want to lose you! All members Our birds need your help too. Contributions to the bird feeding program at our Sanctuary in Old Chatham are welcome. are greatly appreciated. Conservation - Why Are Bats Dying? by Michael J. Birmingham, Forester/Entomologist A recent article in the Times Union paper on bats WNS apparently came to the US on clothes and points to declining populations due to white-nose gear of cavers. Now established in US, WNS primarily syndrome (WNS), (Geomyces destructans). Fewer bats spreads by bat contacts with one another. WNS is locally were seen in the summer rapidly spreading and may soon of 2009. Bat population declines reach mid-western states. To stem may be due to causes in addition spread by humans, conservationists to WNS. Studies are underway to ask cavers to avoid caves and mines answer this and other questions on in regions with WNS.[3] bat mortalities. Dead and dying Our rarest bats are the Indiana bats are found in record numbers and Eastern small-footed myotis in nine eastern states. The first bats. Half of the Indiana bat evidence of the fungus was found population in NY hibernates in less than 3-years ago at Howe’s one mine. WNS has been detected Cave near Albany, NY. Evidence in the mine on Indiana bats. of WNS is white markings on the Indiana and Eastern small-footed nose, wings and tails of bats, bats myotis bat’s vulnerability to WNS flying during daytime and dead and will determine their fates locally. dying bats near and in caves and WNS kills by starvation and mines.[1] Bats at risk are described cave hibernating bats infected as displaying abnormal behavior. with WNS are more susceptible Both cave and tree bats are Little Brown Bat to starvation than tree bats. WNS native to our region. Local Photo: Marvin Moriarty/USFWS is likely to achieve maximum cave bats wintering in caves and mines are: Northern impacts on bats locally sooner than other regions since long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), little brown the disease first appeared in the region and has had bat (sometimes called little brown myotis) (Myotis more time to spread and build in intensity. Local bat lucifugus), Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis), Eastern populations will decline further as WNS spreads to small-footed myotis (Myotis leibii), Eastern pipistrelle more caves and mines.[4] Bat reproduction is slow and (Perimyotis subflavus) and big brown bat (Eptesicus recovery of bat populations will be slow. Rare local fuscus). Cave bats live off body fat in winter.[2] species such as the Indiana and Eastern small-footed Tree bats migrate south. Local species are: hoary bat myotis bats may disappear in some areas. Local bats are (Lasiurus cinereus), silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris marvelous insectivores and navigators using “state of the noctivagans)and Eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis).[i] art” echolocation and unequaled flight agility. Equally Tree bats, depending on species, feed during winter or remarkable given these competitive advantages is these hibernate in hollow trees. wonderful creatures are disappearing. [ii] Researchers attempt to understand how environmental factors, pathogens and toxicants make [1] http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jan2008/2008- bats vulnerable to WNS. Bats infected with WNS have 01-31-094.asp low body fat leading to starvation during hibernation. [2] http://www.fws.gov/northeast/white_nose.html Bat colony mortality rates range from a small percentage [3] Names follow http://en.wikipedia.org/ to as high as 95%. Why are there differences in mortality [4] For more on WNS see http://www.fws.gov/ rates among bat colonies and species? Why are some northeast/wnsabout.html caves and mines free of WNS within the general range [i] Names follow http://en.wikipedia.org/ of the disease? Answers to these questions may lead [ii] For more on WNS see http://www.fws.gov/ to understanding WNS and other agent roles in bat northeast/wnsabout.html mortality.
January 2010 The Warbler alandevoebirdclub.org Reminders & Notices ADBC Field Trips Columbia Land Conservancy Outings Jan. 17, Sun. - WATERFOWL COUNT For Information about CLC events, programs & outings: (26th Annual) Visit www.clctrust.org or call 518-392-5252 Meet at 9:00 am at Stuyvesant Landing. Coordinators:
Owen and Carol Whitby MOH ON A S W udson ohawk ird lub rips K H M B C T D U
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B & Programs IR B Feb. 6, Sat. - SHRIKE SEARCH (morning) D CLU For more information, 518-439-8080 Meet at 8:00 am at Lindenwald parking lot on Route 9H. For more information, see www.hmbc.net. We will look for Northern Shrike on Eichybush Road in Kinderhook. Then we may check the river for waterfowl. MONDAY - Feb. 1, 2010 - 7:00 pm at William K. Coordinator: Drew Hopkins Sanford (Colonie) Library - “The Galapagos Islands” with Richard Naylor Colonie Library Director, Richard Naylor, will describe Note to Field Trip Leaders: Following the field trip for his trip to the Galapagos Islands in January of 2006, which you are the leader, send a brief summary/write-up of the trip for using photos and video he and his wife took during the the Warbler to the editor - Nancy Kern trip. Trips to Galapagos differ according to the time of year and the general weather conditions, however, each time provides its special interest.
ALAN DEVOE BIRD CLUB MEMBERSHIP FORM Membership Annual Renewal Date: January 1st Welcome New Members! Send check to: Sandra Williams, 1730 Co. Rte 9, Chatham, NY 12037, payable to the Alan Devoe Bird Club, Inc. Tricia Julian Name:
Street address:
Clarissa Manjarrez City, state & zip:
Telephone:
E-Mail: Mary Ellen Frieberg & Dr. W. Michael King Paper Warbler or E-Warbler (please circle your preference)
MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES: Adult $15 [ ] Junior (18 or younger) $10 [ ] Supporting Adult $30 [ ] Individual Life $500 [ ] Renewing Members for 2010 Family/Household $25 [ ] Supporting Family/Household $45 [ ] Jean Beaven Bertha Petith ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS: General Fund: Steven Sulzer Sanctuary Fund: Allan & Phyllis Wirth Educational Opportunities Fund:
TOTAL ENCLOSED:
January 2010 The Warbler alandevoebirdclub.org ADBC Chatham Christmas Count Held 12-19-09 by Nancy Kern Bill Cook as the coordinator of this event will give us the final results and particulars, but here are a few highlights. Weather- wise it was a decent day and Debbie Shaw and I got our expected finds of the common birds of inland winter countryside. Our best bird of the day was a beautiful adult Northern Shrike perched on the top of a twenty foot high tree in an advantageous hunting position. The surrounding area was old farm fields and brushy areas good for small rodents and birds. We ended with a really nice last bird of the day, a handsome Barred Owl posed next to Crow Hill Road just outside of Spencertown. Debbie and I have good teamwork after something like 30 years of birding together. In this, my home territory, I drive and predict what birds should be where. I predicted the owl and Debbie first saw its dark eyes and spotted it against a pine tree. Nice job Debbie! I got the photo. Marion and Bill Ulmer again hosted our after the count potluck dinner at their warm and beautiful home in Chatham. Food was bountiful with no duplications. The surprise was no one brought a dessert! Must be we are all watching our waistlines, and it was still a sumptuous feast.
It was a more high tech tally than usual with a nice digiscoped Barred Owl photo of a Veery, the find of the day, presented on an Apple iphone. I really, really want that new iphone with the bird apps. Stories were told and new members welcomed as we said hello to old friends. Our thanks to everyone who participated, and in particular to Bill Cook as coordinator, Carol and Owen Whitby for paying our count fees to Audubon, and to Marion and Bill Ulmer for being such gracious hosts.
Choosing Binoculars by Habitat New York State Ornithological The Alan Devoe Bird Club does not endorse Association products or take advertising, but this site has some notes This year NYSOA is offering gift memberships on choosing binoculars and other devices that may be of in NYSOA as well as NYSYBC (New York State interest. Young Birders Club). These gift memberships may be purchased online via credit card. Go to: http://www.eagleoptics.com/articles/birding/birding- destination-and-optics-selection-1 http://www.nybirds.org/membership/gift2010.html
January 2010 The Warbler alandevoebirdclub.org Maine Journal 2009 by Marion Ulmer (Editor’s Note: Think nice warm weather!) head for Sunset, the Davis Cottage, which is celebrating A brief introduction: For many years we have its 100th birthday with friends and relatives galore. My vacationed on Long Island, Maine, one of several rocky, grandparents and great aunt and uncle had it built in spruce-covered islands near Portland in Casco Bay. The 1909. It has been in the family ever since, belonging at year-round population numbers under 200, but summer present to a variety of my cousins-once-removed. weekends may see as many as 1000 people on the island. August 16, Sunday: Our kids inflate the boat, take it The children in grades K-6 attend a two-room school, down to the beach, and head to Cliff Island to explore but the older students commute to Portland on the the remains of WWII army installations which include a Casco Bay Lines. Long Island is its own town, having tower and tunnels. Willard and I stay home and unpack. successfully seceded from Portland in 1993. It has its At noon we bike to the Methodist Church and get own government, a volunteer fire department, a rescue take-out lobster dinners for all of us - best food ever (2 squad with both ambulance and rescue boat, an active lobsters apiece) and I didn’t even have to cook it! Civic Association, two small churches, a new library, August 17, Monday: The kids head home on the noon and an excellent Historical Society. Some people work in boat. It’s the beginning of the heat wave, but while Portland or on their computers at home; but most, if not Portland is sweltering in the low 90s, the east wind retired, make a living fishing and/or lobstering. off the ocean keeps our end of the island at 80 degrees August 14, Friday: It’s clear and sunny in Chatham. Our which is still warm enough to make me brave the icy pick-up is loaded down with boxes, tote bags, coolers, Maine ocean for a short swim. a 14-foot deflated Zodiac boat, and Queenie, the new August 18, doggie. I question our sanity, but know it will all be Tuesday: worth it once we get on the ferry in Portland and head Willard and the 6 miles down Casco Bay to Long Island. I set out in All goes well until we merge onto 495 from the our boat for Worcester by-pass. The traffic slows, crawls, almost the sandbar stops, and crawls again. It takes a whole hour to go 12 connecting miles! Thoughts of making the 2:15 boat evaporate as Little and do hopes of getting the 3:15. In fact, after we make Great arrangements at the Casco Bay Lines’ freight office and Chebeague have a seafood dinner at the Dry Dock, we have little Islands at low spare time to make the 5:45. tide. We walk We pop Queenie into a knapsack and get into the along the flats queue heading onto the gangplank. It’s a lovely 45 looking for Marion & Queenie minute ride passing Civil War forts and lighthouses as shorebirds. Queenie is with us, decked out in a yellow the captain narrates the trip for the passengers on board doggie life preserver which makes her easy to spot as she just for the cruise. The owner of the B&B where we will cavorts about free of her leash. She is one happy dog! spend the night is at the wharf to meet us in a somewhat There are Ruddy Turnstones as well as Semi-palmated questionable island car. Most vehicles, especially my Plovers. With the help of Sibley’s Guide to the Eastern cousin’s pick-up, are very questionable, but since the Birds, I review the differences between Laughing and island is only 3 miles long and the speed limit is 20, it Bonaparte’s Gulls. To my surprise, I see both of these doesn’t much matter. Cars and golf carts are licensed but black-headed gulls close enough for a good comparison. not inspected and, therefore, cannot be taken off island. We dig a dozen or so clams and then head home. On the August 15, Saturday: This morning we move into way, we spot an immature Black Guillemot swimming Rockhaven, our rental for the next two weeks. Son Steve, near small, rocky Crow Island. granddaughter Eliza, and friend Jay arrive on the 10 Just as we are coming in to shore, a flock of Semi- with more stuff including our outboard motor. We all palmated Plovers and Semi-palmated Sandpipers alight continued on page 6 January 2010 The Warbler alandevoebirdclub.org Maine Journal 2009 bike. Queenie rides in the bike basket. I always watch continued from page 5 for wildflowers and am pleased to find Ladies Tresses and Turtlehead in the expected spots. Hurricane Bill on the flat ledges is churning up the waters well off-shore, but with the that extend higher than normal tides, there is a real threat to the out beyond coastal beaches. At the state beach at the far end of the our neighbors’ island, the waves are crashing in. We are back to the pebbly beach. cottage for lunch and in plenty of time for Larry to We see them catch the 4:20 boat back to Portland. there almost August 23, Sunday: Willard and I go back to Singing every day after (the state) Beach so named for the sand that squeaks that, sometimes Marion & Sandpipers beneath our bare feet. We have Queenie securely on a flock with her leash so she well over 100 birds. They rise in tandem, wheel, alight, won’t be washed and rise again. Such perfect synchronization! When the out to sea! The seaweed is exposed, they walk on it looking to feed on waves are high tiny sea creatures. enough that they August 19: Wednesday: We are back on the sandbar actually knock me again, but this time the tide is extremely high and off my feet, but I there’s very little exposed beach. The birds are more am in no danger. concentrated - Black-bellied Plovers, an immature The shore birds Sanderling, and both Semi-palmated Sandpipers and are again finding Plovers. A new moon in August can raise the median it hard to locate high tide almost three feet and drop the low tide to enough exposed minus a foot. Again it’s warm enough for a swim! These sand in which to are the low tides when the Great Blue Herons stalk along forage. The water Queenie in the mud at the water’s edge and I have fun taking rushes in right up to the dunes. I add Greater Yellowlegs pictures of them stepping gracefully along. and Least Sandpipers to my list. August 20, Thursday: It’s another 10 foot tide as we August 24, Monday: We borrow my cousin’s vehicle at head out in our boat to Sand Island which is so small 8AM to go to the wharf where we meet our friend Judy we can walk the perimeter in less than 15 minutes. who has come down from Portland on the boat bringing Queenie again is off leash and exploring every nook coffee and croissants. We join her on the Aucocisco III, and cranny. The wildflowers are lovely - bright yellow sit with her in the bow, and have a lovely hour-long Seaside Goldenrod, purple Germander, yellow wild ride to Great Chebeague, Cliff Island and back to Long. lettuce, pink and white wild roses, Curly Dock, and Cormorants sit on the buoys drying their wings or fly Sea Lavender. These plants hug the upper edge of the straight as arrows almost touching the water. We watch beach or the ledges except for the Lavender which grows for Ospreys, but will have to wait for another day to see in a protected bit of damp sand. Poison Ivy flourishes them. We wave good-by to Judy as we disembark and and has already started to turn red. On the way back head back to our cottage. a Cooper’s Hawk flies over us heading from Great August 25, Tuesday: Queenie has her little routines, one Chebeague to Hope Island. being a walk right after breakfast. I’m too far behind to go August 21, 22: Friday is our day to go to Portland to this morning, so they are off without me. Willard returns do some shopping and visit the art museum. We meet all excited. They walked to the old Cleaves Landing Beach our friend Larry at the wharf for the 5:45 boat. He is and had come upon 2 adult Bald Eagles right on the coming to the island for the first time for an overnight shoreline! They started to fly away, but one returned to visit. Saturday we wake to a very foggy morning as retrieve what looked like a gull’s wing that they had been the warm air hovers over the cold ocean. Once the fog feeding on. Last summer we saw one Bald Eagle on the burns off, we three head off for a tour of the island by continued on page 9
January 2010 The Warbler alandevoebirdclub.org White-Throated Sparrows Are Here There seem to be White-throats almost everywhere this year, and in some locations are abundant. John Piwowarski got this nice photo.
Birding in Greece This fall Debbie Shaw had a nice vacation in Greece, another warm spot to think about this time of year. Here she met a local celebrity White Pelican for a different birding experience.
January 2010 The Warbler alandevoebirdclub.org BIRD SIGHTINGS November 2009
Compiled for the Alan Devoe Bird Club by William Cook, Ph.D., Columbia-Greene Community College, 4400 Route 23, Hudson NY 12534 Report for November 2009 Tim Dormady’s Northern Shoveler highlights A total of 76 species were reported in November. this month’s report. It was last reported in Columbia Of these 54 are common residents, or fall migrants: County over 6 years ago on March 18, 2003 by Arthur Canada Goose, Mute Swan, American Black Duck, Long in Stockport. Northern Shoveler is a rare breeder Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Common Merganser, Wild in New York with the atlas reporting blocks scattered Turkey, Great Blue Heron, Turkey Vulture, Northern along the northern and western areas of the state. Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Red- The number of atlas blocks did go up from 19 in the tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Ring- 1980s atlas to 25 in the 2000s atlas. It is common to billed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Rock Pigeon, abundant, however, in the winter along the coast. Mourning Dove, Eastern Screech-Owl, Great Horned Chipping Sparrow and Gray Catbird are the late Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Red-bellied Woodpecker, lingerers this month. Several reporters saw these sparrows Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy while only Mimi Brauch saw a catbird. These species Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker, sometime linger through the Christmas Count period but Blue Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Black- we expect them to be gone by the end of October. capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Red-breasted A Great Egret spent several days at Bell’s Pond this Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, month. Both Rich Nord and I saw it several times. We Carolina Wren, Eastern Bluebird, American Robin, don’t remember ever seeing one there before. A Bald Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, Cedar Eagle on Taghkanic Creek is also an unusual inland Waxwing, Yellow-rumped Warbler, American Tree sighting. Allan Wirth found it behind his neighbor’s Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark- house perched over the creek. eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, A Pied-billed Grebe on Ooms Pond, a Horned Common Grackle, Purple Finch, House Finch, Grebe on Copake Lake and a Common Loon in American Goldfinch, House Sparrow. The remaining Austerlitz made for interesting waterfowl watching this 22 species are uncommon residents, departing migrants month. These are migrant species that normally show or winter visitors. They are detailed below. Three up here this time of year. new species (*) were added to the annual total this John Piwowarski has fewer sparrows, white- November. throats and the like I presume, at his feeders this year and wonders if anyone else has noticed a decline in sparrows.
November 2009 Summaries 1981 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total Species 74 76 62 76 73 71 75 79 71 76 Year to Date 188 199 184 195 183 185 184 195 183 185
January 2010 The Warbler alandevoebirdclub.org November 2009 Report Key to Locations: Species Date Location Observer AC Ancram AS Austerlitz Wood Duck last 11 CM D CL Clermont Northern Shoveler * 11 CM D CM Chatham Ring-necked Duck 14-22 HL CM GH P D U CN Canaan Greater Scaup 27 CO C CO Copake Hooded Merganser 6-24 RN CM D G CV Claverack DT N. Dutchess Ruddy Duck RN CM CO P D C GH Ghent Common Loon * 14 16 AS T GL Gallatin Pied-billed Grebe 21 CM D GM Germantown Horned Grebe 28 CO N GP Greenport HD Hudson Double-crested Cormorant last 18 HR D HL Hillsdale Great Egret 11 LV C N HR Hudson River Black Vulture 3 GP S KH Kinderhook Bald Eagle 2-5 RN TG D A LV Livingston Broad-winged Hawk 7 8 GL RN C D MC Mill Creek NL New Lebanon Rough-legged Hawk 8 RN D RN S. Rensselaer American Coot 27 28 CO C N SC Powell Sanct. Golden-crowned Kinglet 7-22 LV AS C L SP Stockport Ruby-crowned Kinglet 14 GH U SV Stuyvesant Gray Catbird 3 GM B TG Taghkanic Chipping Tree Sparrow 1-29 AS GM TG B L A Fox Sparrow 1-17 CM G Observers Lincoln’s Sparrow * 2 OCT CV N A=Alan, Phyllis & Betsy Wirth, B=Mimi Brauch, C=Bill Cook, D=Tim Dormady, E=Elle Dietemann, G=Elisabeth Grace, H=Drew Hopkins, I=Cris Winters, Maine Journal 2009 J=Joan Steiner & George continued from page 6 Rodenhausen, K=Kathryn Schneider, L=Mitzi Lobdell, island flying over the West End Cemetery, but this summer it’s a Broad-winged Hawk N=Richard Nord, O=Chad that we see there. Witko, P=John Piwowarski, Our two weeks go by very quickly. Willard helps cousin Richard with window Q=Susan Scheck, S=Carl, repairs and painting at the Sunset Cottage. We make another trip to Sand Island Helen & Stephanie Specht, T=Scotti Tomson, U=Marion and Great Chebeague before deflating our boat and packing up all our belongings. & Bill Ulmer, W=Owen & We are supposed to meet Mass Audubon in Portsmouth on Friday, the 28th, for a Carol Whitby, Y=Will Yandik birding trip to the Isles of Shoals, but it is cancelled at the last moment. Tropical and Z=Nancy Kern Storm Danny is chugging up the coast and will pepper the Isles with wind, rain, and waves. No good for either birding or boating. When we arrive home in Chatham, there’s 5 inches of rain in our gauge. We only had 11⁄2 on the island. Our vegetable garden is so overgrown that it looks tropical, the grass needs mowing, the flowers need dead-heading, the blackberries need picking, the birdfeeders need filling, and there’s all that “stuff” to unpack. Next year I promise myself we’ll take less. We’ll see!
January 2010 The Warbler alandevoebirdclub.org Alan Devoe Bird Club Others Board of Directors Owen Whitby - Treasurer
Marcia Anderson - Chair & Budget, Finance, Archives & Website The Warbler Chair Nancy Kern - Vice-Chair, Publications Chair, Sanctuary Chair & Editor Nancy Kern Warbler Editor Layout Brenda Haynor Sandy Williams - Membership Chair & Corresponding Secretary Mailing Carl, Helen & Stephanie Specht, Susan & Henry Marion Ulmer - Secretary Scheck Ellen Scott - Public Relations Chair Susan Scheck - Education Chair William Cook, Ph.D. - Bird Reports & Field Trip Chair Mike Birmingham - Conservation Chair
Notable Dates January 1st, Friday Renewal of Membership Due. For included form, see page 3.
January 17th, Sunday 9:00 am - Waterfowl Count - 26th Annual. Coordinators: Owen & Carol Whitby For more information, see page 3.
February 6th, Saturday 8:00 am - Shrike Search. Coordinator: Drew Hopkins For more information, see page 3.
February 11th, Thursday 7:00 pm - ADBC Board Meeting. For more information, see
page 1.
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